IDC surveyed individuals to determine the impact of Juniper certifications. Results showed that certification is a key component to success to a successful career in network installation, management, and security performance.

1. January 2014, IDC #246270
WHITE PAPER
Impact of Juniper Training and Certification on
Network Management Activities
Sponsored by: Juniper Networks
Cushing Anderson
January 2014
IDC OPINION
IDC believes sufficient training and appropriate certification can lead directly to improvement in
network installation, management, and security performance. In a recent survey of Juniper Networks
customers and partners, IDC found significant evidence of the specific and measurable benefits of
sufficient training and certification. This research found:
 Many tasks performed by network engineers and network security engineers were positively
impacted by sufficient training. For instance:
 Router and switches were installed correctly the first time an average of 82% of the time
when the engineer had more than a week of training compared with an average of 69%
when the engineer had less than a day of training.
 Engineers with about eight days of training consistently installed routers and switches in
accordance with the project plan 80% of the time compared with only 67% when engineers
had less than one day of training.
 Network resources managed by network engineers with more than a week of training were
available/reachable when needed 18% more often than network resources managed by
network engineers with less than a day of training.
 Every additional team member certified improves key performance indicators.
 IT managers overwhelmingly believe that training and certification improve employees'
performance. In fact, one in four IT managers believes having Juniper-trained and -certified
staff allows him/her to operate with a smaller network management team than would be
possible without certification.
This research concludes that every day of additional training and each additional team member
certified meaningfully improve performance in key metrics in network management and security.

2. ©2014 IDC #246270 2
SITUATION OVERVIEW
With the continuing increase in the use of and demand on networking infrastructure, IT managers are
constantly seeking ways to improve network performance, reliability, and scalability. IDC expects that
enterprise-class organizations will continue to implement complex hybrid, public, private, and noncloud
environments for many years to come. Mission-critical applications and workloads depend on multiple
generations of technology and infrastructure that demand constant updating and maintenance of skills
to leverage effectively.
Ultimately, network and IT managers need to create a more productive and efficient networking
infrastructure. At the same time, staff costs have risen to nearly two-thirds of network management
budgets.
To manage effectively in complex IT environments, organizations must transform the way they staff
and manage their IT organizations while better optimizing the way they source and deploy their
IT resources. In IDC's IT Management QuickPoll Survey conducted in January 2013, IT managers
identified their top 3 IT management software priorities for the next three years. The poll found that
IT managers will focus on:
 Improving IT staff productivity and operational efficiency (49% of respondents)
 Implementing common management software, services, and processes across cloud and
noncloud environments (40% of respondents)
 Reducing the number of management software vendors and tools used across their
environments (39% of respondents)
Meanwhile, IT executives are getting little in the way of new head count, and the expectations and
need for very high service levels continue to escalate. As a result, network management teams and
the whole IT organization must be prepared to work effectively across hybrid, complex environments.
IT managers must help staff operate more productively by leveraging available training and
certification across the range of roles and activities.
To manage complex IT networks, most organizations leverage a range of IT networking professionals
across a broad range of activities. For simplicity, IDC grouped most network management activities
into five roles:
 Network engineer: An internal role typically responsible for network design, installation and
management of new networks, and protocol management of existing networks
 Network security engineer: An internal role typically responsible for firewall and security policy,
management, and maintenance, including troubleshooting security devices
 Network support engineer: An internal role focused on troubleshooting and resolution of
network-related issues

3. ©2014 IDC #246270 3
 Professional network services consultant: An external role held by network equipment and
implementation providers typically involved in the design, planning, and integration of new
devices into existing networks for clients; the installation and configuration of routers and
switches; and the migration of clients from existing network infrastructure to new design
 Presales network system engineer: An external role held by network equipment and
implementation providers typically responsible for developing sales proposals to design and
integrate new networking devices into new or existing networks and the implementation,
configuration, or troubleshooting of networking software upgrades (The role also requires the
development of a proposed bill of materials [BOM] for the client that addresses the proposed
approach/solution to the client's business requirements.)
This research was designed to isolate the potential for training and certification to improve
performance in each of the key networking roles. It was further designed to identify "how much"
training was appropriate to meaningfully impact the performance of an enterprise network. However,
for the purposes of this white paper, we focus on the activities of and opportunities for network
engineers and network security engineers.
Keys to Performance Improvement: Network Engineers and Network
Security Engineers
The two key internal roles related to complex networking are network engineers and
network security engineers.
Intuitively, IT managers believe that training and certification impact employees' ability to
perform assigned tasks and activities at a high level. And while IT networking infrastructure
can be complicated, IT managers overwhelmingly believe that training and certification
improve employees' performance — in fact, this research found that more than 85% of
IT managers say that training and certification moderately or significantly improve IT
employees' ability to fully leverage Juniper products and technologies. In addition, almost
90% of IT managers say that Juniper certification moderately or significantly improves the
overall performance of IT teams.
IT managers
overwhelmingly
believe that
training and
certification
improve
employees'
performance.

4. ©2014 IDC #246270 4
Impact of Training: Network Engineers
More specifically, when IDC examined key performance indicators and compared the performance of
network engineers and network security engineers who had been provided a little training with the
performance of those who had been provided more training, the results were impressive.
For network engineers, we observed the strong impact of training for most activities and metrics. For
instance, network resources managed by network engineers with more than 40 hours of training were
available/reachable when needed 18% more often than network resources managed by network
engineers with less than 7 hours of training (see Table 1).
TABLE 1
Comparison of Network Engineers with Less than a Day of Training and More than
a Week of Training (%)
Key Activity Key Metric
<1 Day of
Training
>1 Week of
Training
Design and planning of
networks and integration
of devices
Percentage of time networked resources are
available/reachable when needed
72 90
Percentage of changes to network architecture complete,
with stakeholder sign-off consistent with organizational
policy
56 71
Installation and configuration of
routers and switches
Average percentage of "uptime" of critical routers and
switches
78 94
Percentage of router and switch installations completed in
accordance with project plan
67 80
Routing/switching
protocol management
Percentage of changes to network architecture fully
documented
57 68
Routing policy management Percentage of router and switch installations correctly
implemented the first time
69 82
Source: IDC's Network Management Survey, 2014

5. ©2014 IDC #246270 5
How Much Training Matters: Network Engineers
For this research, we did not distinguish between "classroom" instruction and other forms of formal
instruction. Other IDC research has found that instructor-led classroom instruction, instructor-led
instruction delivered over the Web, or even self-paced training is equally useful in improving individual
competence. IDC believes that the key to the impact of training is targeting specific
performance objectives, building training experiences that are appropriate for the
content and the learners, and to the extent possible, leveraging training simulations or
other opportunities to encourage practice.
While the detailed results suggested that, overall, about a week of training resulted in a
material improvement, every day of additional training improved performance. In Figure 1,
the impact of increased training days (y-axis) can be seen on the key metric performance
(x-axis) — in this case, the performance indicator was the frequency at which a new router
or switch installation was completed in accordance with the specific project plan. For this
metric, individuals with about eight days of training consistently installed routers and
switches in accordance with the project plan about 80% of the time.
FIGURE 1
Impact of Training on Router and Switch Installation
Source: IDC's Network Management Survey, 2014
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 20 40 60 80 100
Daysoftraining
(Minimum1,average8,maximum50)
Metric %
(Minimum 3%, average 77%, maximum 100%)
Percentage ofrouter and switch installations completed
in accordance with project plan
Individuals with
about eight days
of training
consistently
installed routers
and switches in
accordance with
the project plan
about 80% of
the time.

6. ©2014 IDC #246270 6
Impact of Training: Network Security Engineers
For network security engineers, the story is much the same: Effective training improves
performance on key security metrics.
Network security engineers with more than a week of training were able to patch
firewall vulnerabilities within 24 hours of discovery 40% more often compared with
network security engineers with less than a day of training. And network security issues
were more often resolved within 24 hours when the security engineer had more training
(see Table 2).
TABLE 2
Comparison of Network Security Engineers with Less than a Day of Training and
More than a Week of Training (%)
Key Activity Key Metric
<1 Day of
Training
>1 Week of
Training
Firewall policy
management
Percentage of organization's firewalls examined daily for
performance statistics
57 70
Percentage of firewall vulnerabilities patched within 24 hours
of detection
45 88
Security device
maintenance
Percentage of network security hardware replaced in
accordance with a device upgrade schedule
44 54
Percentage of network security–related issues resolved within
24 hours
58 66
Source: IDC's Network Management Survey, 2014
Effective
training
improves
performance on
key security
metrics.

7. ©2014 IDC #246270 7
How Much Training Matters: Network Security Engineers
While the detailed results suggested that, overall, about a week of training resulted in a
material improvement, every day of additional training improved performance for
network engineers and network security engineers. In Figure 2, the impact of increased
training days (y-axis) can be seen on the key metric performance (x-axis) — in this
case, the performance indicator was the frequency at which router vulnerabilities were
patched within 24 hours. For this metric, individuals with about 7 days of training
consistently patched routers and switches within 24 hours about 90% of the time.
FIGURE 2
Impact of Training on Firewall Policy Management
Note: There were too few network security engineers with less than four days of training to register on this figure.
Source: IDC's Network Management Survey, 2014
Impact of Certification on Team Performance
Achieving a certification is a demonstration of a specific and high level of competence in a defined
domain. Ensuring a sufficient number of team members achieve "certification" should result in additional
network performance improvement beyond training individual members. IDC examined the key
performance indicators for teams of network engineers and network security engineers with greater than
80% of the team certified compared with teams with less than 20% of the team holding a relevant
certification. Illustrative of what we found, several metrics demonstrated important improvement.
We found that team certification is important to improved performance of mundane but important tasks
such as monthly maintenance. Overall, it is difficult to complete monthly maintenance activities on
time. The most competent teams complete only 55% of maintenance activities on time. But teams with
no certification complete only 25% of those activities on time. Network engineering teams with 100% of
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 20 40 60 80 100
Daysoftraining
(Minimum1,average6,maximum48)
Metric%
(Minimum 1%, average 56%, maximum 100%)
Percentage offirewall vulnerabilities patched
within 24 hours of detection
Every day of
additional
training
improved
performance.

8. ©2014 IDC #246270 8
the team certified on average complete monthly maintenance activities on time more than twice as
frequently as teams with no certified members (see Figure 3).
FIGURE 3
Impact of Team Certifications on Performance: Network Maintenance
Source: IDC's Network Management Survey, 2014
We found a similar impact on network security teams. Teams with more than 80% of team members
certified led to:
 Resolving network/connectivity-related support requests within 4 hours 16% more often
 Resolving network security–related issues within 4 hours 21% more often
 Fully documenting changes to network architecture 8% more often
 Patching firewall vulnerabilities within 24 hours of detection 10% more often
The impact of team certification on metrics can be dramatic. Reducing the resolution time for security-
related issues is important, and it's clear that the competence of the team attempting the resolution is
critical to a successful resolution. Additionally, we found that teams with 100% of team members certified
are able to resolve an average of 60% of security-related issues within 4 hours. This compares with an
average of 25% of issues resolved in 4 hours or less by teams without any certified team members. On
average, network security teams with 100% of the team certified resolve security-related issues in less
than 4 hours more than twice as often as teams with no certified members (see Figure 4).
But it is important to note that performance isn't all or nothing: This data shows that every new certified
team member positively impacts performance.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0 20 40 60 80 100
(%ofmonthlynetwork
maintenanceactivities
completedontime)
(% of team certified)

9. ©2014 IDC #246270 9
FIGURE 4
Impact of Team Certifications on Performance: Network Security Issues
Source: IDC's Network Management Survey, 2014
Getting teams certified and maintaining certification as team members are promoted,
or replaced, are challenges for IT managers. But our research shows that there are
significant benefits to organizational performance as teams achieve greater penetration
of relevant certifications. Every additional team member certified has a measurable
impact on key network management and security performance indicators.
Perception of the Impact of Training and Certifications
Well-trained staff — especially those with validated training by achieving a certification —
perform better than less well-trained staff in many ways. And though some of the
improvements are difficult to isolate, key stakeholders have strong, positive feelings
about the impact of training and certification. For instance, this research found that
90% of IT managers say that the Juniper certification moderately or significantly
improves the overall performance of IT teams. In fact, IDC found that to ensure the
best candidates are selected, hiring managers asked candidates about their Juniper
certification in 75% of interviews.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100
(%ofnetworksecurityissues
resolvedinlessthanfourhours)
(% of team certified)
Every additional
team member
certified has a
measurable
impact on key
network
management
and security
performance
indicators.

10. ©2014 IDC #246270 10
Sometimes, the perception of the value of training and certification is quite specific.
For instance:
 More than 85% of Juniper customers report that training and certification
reduce the number and frequency of calls to the Juniper Technical Assistance
Center (JTAC).
 About 45% of certified IT staff and more than 85% of IT managers believe
certification results in better and more complete utilization of Juniper gear.
Ultimately, efficiency can even impact staff size: One in four IT managers believes that
having Juniper-trained and -certified staff allows him/her to operate with a smaller
network management team than would be possible without certification. In an era of
high growth in the cost of staff and reluctance to grow staff size, that is a critical benefit.
Team competence clearly matters to IT managers and executives. And that competence
impacts employees' careers: More than 80% of Juniper certification candidates choose to
get certified for career development and to increase personal competence.
Finally, while the impact of training can be generalized to all training and most
certifications, Juniper training and certifications appear to be particularly valued by
IT managers and IT staff: Overall, 92% of Juniper customers believe Juniper
certification is the same as or better than any other networking certification. And more
than 94% of Juniper-trained or -certified IT workers would recommend Juniper training
and certification.
CHALLENGES AND CONCLUSIONS
Networks continue to increase in complexity and importance. Through appropriate
training and certification, IT managers have an opportunity to control costs, increase
operational efficiency, and improve service levels. To do that, IT managers, executives,
and hiring managers must evaluate which roles are the most important targets for increased training —
and then they must decide which certifications to support.
Appropriately leveraged training and certification can speed implementations, reduce manual error,
and improve security and compliance. In summary, this research found the following:
 Network engineers: Strong impact observed for most activities and metrics; more than eight
days of training necessary to achieve the best results.
 Network security engineers: Strong impact for many activities and metrics; more than six days
of training necessary to achieve the best results.
 Resolution of issues: Almost 60% of IT managers report that Juniper certification results in
faster identification and resolution of issues by their teams.
 Utilization of network equipment: 45% of IT managers report that Juniper certification results in
better and more complete utilization of Juniper gear.
More than 94%
of Juniper-
trained or
-certified IT
workers would
recommend
Juniper training
and
certification.
One in four
IT managers
believes that
having Juniper-
trained and
-certified staff
allows him/her
to operate with
a smaller
network
management
team.

11. ©2014 IDC #246270 11
Every day of additional training improves the individual performance of network engineers and network
security engineers in key performance metrics. And every additional team member certified has a
measurable impact on key performance indicators.
IDC also recommends that IT managers and IT training managers continually ensure that training
programs focus on the following criteria to achieve the best results:
 Achieve specific improvement in performance: Begin by targeting specific areas of
improvement and select sufficient training to achieve those objectives.
 Encourage consumption: It is not enough to identify courses; the courses must be
conscientiously attended by the targeted learners. This suggests that courses must be of a
convenient type, length, and frequency to ensure busy professionals will choose to take the
class.
 Leverage "practice" when available: IT managers should demand live and simulated labs to
support training opportunities.
Each of these recommendations should be constantly reviewed, evaluated, and reapplied in each
significant IT training initiative.
IDC believes that combining high-performance expectations with appropriate training and certification
can help ensure that complex networking environments operate effectively and maximize value for the
enterprise.
METHODOLOGY
The goal of the research presented in this white paper is to understand and quantify the business
impact of training and certification on network-oriented skills.
IDC conducted a global Web-based survey of both individuals and team managers/supervisors with
responsibility for network-related functions. The survey captured information on 24 activities and an
average of 2 metrics specific to each activity. The survey was deployed in English in late 2013 and
utilized a Juniper-provided target list made up of individuals and managers/supervisors who work at
organizations with Juniper technology deployed or work at partner organizations that use Juniper
technology in some manner. The survey resulted in a data set with 3,147 respondents who were
nearly equally distributed across the three macroregions of the Americas (1,078), EMEA (1,041), and
Asia/Pacific (1,028).
IDC examined both the individual impact and the perspective of team managers. Additionally, in
analyzing the results, IDC examined 5 roles, 24 activities, and 53 metrics. This white paper specifically
focuses on the roles of network engineers and network security engineers working at enterprises that
use Juniper equipment.

12. About IDC
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